Improvement in car-couplings



J ROCKW'ILL.

CAR-COUPLINGS. I No. 193,896.. Patented Aug. 7,1877.

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N-PETERS. PHOTD-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. h C.

JAMES ROOKWILL, or notion, NEBRASKA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 193,896, dated August 7, 1877 application filed June 11, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES RooKwILL, of Ponca, in the county of Dixon and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through both draw-heads of my improved car-coupling, showing it in coupled position Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section on line at w, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section, showing the draw-heads in the act of coupling.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The invention refers to an improved carcoupling of that class of couplings which are self -coupling on the approach of the cars, without requiring any one to step in between the same for holding the link; and the invention consists of the arrow-shaped draft-hook of one draw-head, coupling with fulcrumed hook-shaped jaws of the opposite draw-head, thelower jaw being extended to the rear of the draw-head, and locked by a pivoted and weighted catch into open or uncoupled and closed or coupled position.

in the drawings, A represents a draw-head, having the interior jaws O; and B, the connecting draw-head, with the coupling drafthook D. The draft-hook D has an arrowshaped head, and is pivoted at the rear end to a link-piece, D, which is again pivoted to a wire loop, D that turns, by its outwardlybent ends, in pivot-holes at the lower part of the draw-head B. A loop-shaped lever, D, is hung to the wire loop D at the point of connection with the link D and extended backward through the rear end of the draw-head B, to admit the throwing forward of the'drafthook D for coupling, ,or the drawing back of the same within the mouth of the draw-head whenever it is not desired that the cars'should couple. When the draft-hook is thrown forward'the draft-hook, link, and wire loop are securely retained in line and prevented from swinging back into the draw-head.

The locking-jaws (J of the draw-head A are fulcrumed to the same, the upper jaw having A lever-rod, E, passes through the catchblock E, and is pivoted to the side of the draw-head in front of the catch-block, the lever-rod being extended back of the catchblock, to be taken hold of forswinging the block into position, so as to bind by its heel portion on the lower rear end of the jaw O, or by its upper end or top shoulder on the upper end of the forked rear part of the jaw.

The catch-block retains thereby the couplingjaw either in locked position, so as to produce the reliable interlocking of jaws and drafthook,as shown in Fig. 1, or supports the lower jaw in open and uncoupled position, as shown in Fig. 3, until, by the entrance of thedrafthook, the catch-block is released by the raising of the rear end of the lower jaw, and the weighted rear end dropped, and the heel of weighted catch-block thrown into the recess of the rear end, so as to rigidly lock thereon.

A lever-rod, O, is attached to a staple at the rear end of lower jaw O, and bent 'to form a ring or loop, a, that is slipped on a pin, 1), at the upper rear end of the draw-head A, after first withdrawing the catch-block and then raising the jaw by the rod 0. The lower jaw U is thus secured in uncoupled position until the lever-rod O is detached from the pin. The upper rear end of the jaw is then placed in position on the upper end or top shoulder of the catch-block, so that the jaw is retained in position for coupling automatically on the entrance of the draft-hook. The catchblock has upper and lower extension-lugs d, that bear into recesses d of the draw-head, and secure thus the exact position of the catch-block for the coupled and uncoupled position of the jaws, and thereby the reliable and effective working of the coupling.

The lower jaw is'extended back 7 Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of draw-head B with draft-hook D, link-piece D pivoted wire 100p D and operating-leverD to throw the coupling-hook forward or draw it back into the draw-head, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the pivoted lower coupling-jaw, being extended to the rear end of the draw-head, and having recessed rear part, with the laterally-swin ging and weighted catch-block E, having lever E, substantially as described.

or eyes a, in combination with the supporting-pin b of the draw-head, to retain jaws in open and uncoupled position, substantially as set forth.

JAMES ROOKWILL. Witnesses:

ED. T. HEALEY, E. M. BISBEE. 

